Participatory Art & Community Engagement with Korea Art Forum

September 26, 2026
1:00 PM – 6:00 PM

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Willis Playground

349 E. 140th Street

Alexander Avenue & Willis Avenue

Bronx, NY

New York, September 19, 2026 — Korea Art Forum (KAF) will participate in the HEArts Center Community Groundbreaking Celebration with Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS): A Socially Engaged Public Art Initiative.

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Presented with South Bronx Unite and community partners, the celebration marks an important milestone for the forthcoming HEArts Center — Health, Education and Arts Center in Mott Haven.

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The HEArts Center is a community-driven project developed through more than a decade of neighborhood organizing, advocacy, and planning. The project will transform the former Lincoln Recovery Center into a 26,805-square-foot community-controlled hub for health, education, arts, cultural programming, and neighborhood connection.

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As part of the celebration, KAF will facilitate participatory art and community engagement activities led by SDSS artists Kelly Han, Sohhee Oh, Lucia Warck-Meister, and Mashiyat Zaman.

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The larger community celebration will also feature live music, performances, healing practitioners, food, vendors, and cultural programming throughout the afternoon.

Participating SDSS Artists

Sohhee Oh will guide participants in creating a collective puzzle painting. Participants will draw and paint on puzzle-shaped boards, contributing to imagery that evolves throughout the project. They may continue visual elements begun by previous participants or introduce new ones, allowing the work to shift through accumulated public contributions.

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Lucia Warck-Meister will lead a collective sculpture-making activity in which participants cut and assemble cardboard to create Ceibo (coral tree) flowers. Drawing on the Ceibo as a symbol connected to Latin American identity, memory, and resilience, the project develops through the contributions and interpretations of participants from different cultural backgrounds.

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Mashiyat Zaman will present an interactive digital kiosk centered on a virtual living room and bookshelves. Visitors can explore reflections and recommendations left by previous participants and contribute their own responses, creating an evolving archive of intergenerational and intercultural exchange.

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Across the three projects, the artworks develop through direct public participation. Images, objects, reflections, and digital contributions accumulate over time, making the interaction between artists and participants part of the work itself. Together, the projects explore how socially engaged art can create space for dialogue, exchange, and collective meaning-making.

Community Partner

South Bronx Unite

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Organized by

Korea Art Forum

Accommodations 

We welcome requests for individual accommodations. ASL and other disability services are available with at least two weeks' notice. For assistance, please contact us at info@kafny.org or (347) 840-1142.​

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About Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS): A Socially Engaged Public Art Initiative

Korea Art Forum's SDSS proudly commissions artists to create a series of socially engaged, participatory art that culminates in public art installations in outdoor community hubs. The project focuses on serving (im)migrants, people with disabilities, and individuals facing economic hardship and limited access to art. Since its launch in 2020, SDSS has integrated art into daily city life, fostering dialogue between artists and the public while addressing various issues, such as anti-Asian sentiment, inequality, and climate justice. SDSS promotes collaboration, resilience, and social change, offering free, accessible, and immersive art events with live interpretation services. SDSS connects local communities to art, which enhances their overall quality of life and well-being.

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About Korea Art Forum (KAF) 

Founded in New York City in 2013, KAF is led by artists, scholars, and peacemakers committed to bridging the world through art. KAF supports artists' social engagement, enhancing people’s quality of life and well-being. We produce commissions, exhibitions, forums, publications, and art workshops to bring people together across the art world and beyond, fostering dialogues, building an interconnected world, and supporting inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA). 

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THANK YOU! 

2026 Shared Dialogue, Shared Space (SDSS) Part 3.2 is lead-funded by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional support is provided, in part, by the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families, and public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. We thank our community partner, South Bronx Unite, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation for their support.

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